By Ahmed Akanbi

A leading political analyst, Dr. Sam Amadi, has alleged that most of the recently concluded party primary elections in Nigeria were fraudulent and manipulated.

Amadi, speaking during a televised interview, also warned that the conduct of the primaries has worsened internal crises within political parties and weakened party leadership structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, most political parties lack the institutional strength to enforce discipline among aspirants and members, leaving their internal democratic processes open to manipulation.

“Most party primaries were fraudulent. Even some House of Representatives aspirants who were favoured by zoning arrangements still did not make the final list, showing the strong influence of governors,” he said.

The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, noted that internal conflicts and shifting political structures have continued to destabilize party cohesion, with new entrants often sidelining long-standing members.

“Again, if you look at the chaos in party organisation, new entrants come in and crowd out old members. Take for example Delta State, where former governor Ifeanyi Okowa came in to unseat Ned Nwoko,” he added.

He explained that such developments were not necessarily due to poor performance by incumbents, but rather the result of structural and political power shifts within parties.

The political analyst maintained that unless political parties strengthen their internal democratic systems, Nigeria’s electoral process will continue to face credibility challenges.

He stressed that weak party institutions remain a major threat to credible elections and sustainable democratic governance in 2027.